The Green Bay Packers typically eschew their annual option of franchising a player, and this year was no different, as they chose to not tag wide receiver Randall Cobb by Monday's deadline. He will have the chance to test the free-agent market beginning next Tuesday, though the Packers have exclusive negotiating rights with Cobb that run until Saturday afternoon, at which point other teams can speak with him.

The Detroit Lions drafted Ryan Broyles in the second round of the 2012 draft, but injuries marred his first two seasons. Ironically, he managed to stay healthy in 2014 but barely set foot on the field, because he was too far down the depth chart and the top options largely avoided the infirmary.

However, it appears the Lions are hoping that Broyles is far enough removed from his ruptured Achilles and two torn ACLs to make a mark in 2015.

When the Arizona Cardinals released Darnell Dockett on Friday, they shed $9.8 million off of their salary cap. That doesn't mean they don't want the defensive end back for 2015, but only that they couldn't secure him at a price they felt was appropriate for a veteran who will turn 34 during the offseason and missed last season with a torn ACL.

When the Washington Redskins selected Leonard Hankerson in the third round of the 2011 draft, the club hoped he would turn into a genuine outside threat. However, injuries have plagued him throughout most of his career -- he was active for just two games last season -- and he never really came through when he was on the field.

He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent a week from now, but will he end up re-signing with Washington?

When the Dallas Cowboys made the expected decision Monday to use their franchise tag on Dez Bryant instead of DeMarco Murray, it put the futures of both Murray and the Cowboys backfield in flux.

Unless Murray unexpectedly re-signs with the Cowboys before the free-agent market opens in a week, Murray will be allowed to sign with any team he chooses. After leading the NFL in rushing in 2014, he is sure to find plenty of interested teams.

The Washington Redskins used the franchise tag on Brian Orakpo last year. This season, they opted against using the tag on the veteran linebacker, which means that he will be allowed to test the free-agent market in a week, unless he re-signs with Washington before the March 10 deadline.

Veteran running back C.J. Spiller is just about a week away from being able to test the market as an unrestricted free agent. He recently said that he was open to re-signing with the Buffalo Bills, which made an offseason coaching change from Doug Marrone to Rex Ryan.

Nonetheless, it appears far more likely that he will depart for a new team this offseason.

Veteran DE/OLB Dwight Freeney recently turned 35 years old, so 2014 may well have been his swansong campaign in the NFL. However, he isn't quite ready to hang up his cleats, noting that ideally he would like to play again for the San Diego Chargers in 2015.

The Dallas Cowboys have decided to use the franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant, instead of running back DeMarco Murray, as was largely expected. For Murray, that means he can test the market next week as an unrestricted free agent, though he still can re-sign with the Cowboys.

Last week, the Baltimore Ravens released veteran wide receiver and return man Jacoby Jones. While they shaved his $3.375 million contract off of their books, the dead money left on the deal means they saved only $750K worth of salary-cap space.

Jones will turn 31 this offseason, but he already is generating interest as a free agent. Which teams are kicking the tires on the veteran?

The Detroit Lions have decided against using the franchise tag on unrestricted free agent Ndamukong Suh. Although there was some buzz that they may go ahead and use the tag, the hefty price of nearly $27 million that would have counted against their salary cap made it a highly unlikely move.

The team still can re-sign him, but he is free to hit the open market on March 10. Which teams may come calling?

The Cleveland Browns signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown last week to a three-year, $14 million contract with $6.25 million guaranteed. About all we know for certain as a result of this signing is that Brian Hoyer will not be back with the team in 2015.

Beyond that, all we can do is speculate about the Browns' quarterback plans for next season.

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RUMOR CENTRAL

Rumor Central represents regular tips and analysis from ESPN sources plus numerous credible external sources from every form of media. We will speculate intelligently and consider future possibilities on open-ended topics. If something looks speculative, it was intended to be.